The Senate Finance Committee approved Health and Human Services Secretary nominee Alex Azar as various Department of Labor nominees were re-approved by the Senate HELP Committee after the Senate failed to hold a vote on their nominations in 2017. During his confirmation hearing, Mr. Azar mentioned that his priorities would include addressing high drug prices while encouraging innovation, making health care more affordable and available, shifting from paying for sickness to paying for outcomes in Medicare, and tackling the opioid epidemic. The DOL nominees are:
- Patrick Pizzella, currently serving as Acting Chairman of the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA), nominated to serve as Deputy Secretary of Labor;
- Scott Mugno, currently Vice President for Safety, Sustainability and Vehicle Maintenance at FedEx Ground, nominated to serve as Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health;
- Cheryl Stanton, Executive Director of South Carolina's Department of Employment and Workforce, nominated to lead the Wage and Hour Division; and
- Dr. William Beach, Vice President for Policy Research at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, nominated to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
